Rose-Colored World
by Dysfunctional Superhero
Summary: A semi-continuation of Don't Stand So Close To Me. Grace and Eli sort some things out.


Disclaimer: "Once and Again" belongs to Marshall Herskovitz, Edward Zwick, The Bedford Falls Company, Touchstone Television, and ABC Television.  
  
Rating: PG-13 (for language)  
  
Author's Notes: This is a semi-continuation of my fic Don't Stand So Close To Me. Potentially a Grace/Eli pairing, but who knows where I'm going with this. Comments appreciated.  
  
  
  
Rose-Colored World  
  
"Still pretending to be a musician?" Grace asked wryly, leaning against the doorframe.  
  
Looking up, the twangs from his electric guitar dying out, Eli shot her the bird, smirking, "Kiss this."  
  
"You wish" Grace retorted evenly, a faint smile on her lips.  
  
"Was there something you wanted cause I'm kinda busy here" he said, fiddling with the loose sheets of music around him.  
  
"Yeah, I can see that" Grace said, eyeing the tornado that passed for his room. "Busy making a mess."  
  
Eli rolled his eyes, "Hey, you came here. If you don't like what you see, you know where the door is." He smiled sarcastically for effort.  
  
It was Grace's turn to roll her eyes, "I'm already leaving Springsteen, but before I go, Jessie needs a ride to the hospital. Seeing as how I'm already driving Zoe to her ballet lesson on the other side of town, your dad volunteered you. If you can manage to clear a path to your doorway, she's waiting in the living room. Bye now!" Grace laughed lightly and turned to leave.  
  
Eli watched her retreat, her chestnut ponytail bouncing behind her. Sighing, he slumped against his bed, the guitar falling to the ground with a scratchy clang.  
  
* * * * *  
  
"Zoe, come on!" Grace called up the stairs, pulling on her black peacoat. "You're going to be late!"  
  
"Grace, where's Eli?" Jessie asked, coming up to her.  
  
"He's coming. Taking his time as usual" Grace replied before calling out, "Zoe!'  
  
"I'm coming! I'm coming" Zoe cried, clomping gracelessly down the stairs, her ballet bag on her shoulder. "Sheesh," she said once she had reached the bottom, her dark eyes meeting her sister's. "Where's the fire?"  
  
"On your butt!" Grace yelled, exasperated. "You're going to be late."  
  
"A great artiste can't be rushed" Zoe said precociously.  
  
"Right, whatever. Come on" Grace said, tugging at her sister's arm.  
  
"No, wait a second" Zoe pulled a folded piece of paper out her bag. She handed it to Jessie, "It's a card for you mom."  
  
Taken aback, Jessie smiled at the younger girl, "Um…thanks. I'm sure she'll like it. Have a good lesson."  
  
"Okay, bye Jessie" Zoe said, walking out the front door.  
  
Grabbing her own bag, Grace said, "Tell Karen we hope she feels better" she said, closing the front door behind her as she left.  
  
"Bye!" Jessie called after them, the homemade card in her hands. Unfolding it she saw a colorful picture of a field of flowers and laughing children. In a childish scrawl Zoe had written, "Dear Jessie and Eli's Mommy: Feel Better Soon!!! Love, Zoe Manning." Her blue eyes softening, Jessie smiled widely.  
  
"Ready to go?" Eli asked from behind her.  
  
"Yeah" Jessie murmured, "I'm ready."  
  
"What's that?" Eli asked, noticing Zoe's card.  
  
"It's a card for mom from Zoe" she handed it to him.  
  
Scanning it quickly, he grinned, "That kid. She's a pest most of the time, but she's pretty cool too." He handed it back to Jessie as they shared a laugh.  
  
* * * * *  
  
Pulling into the hospital lot, Eli shut off the ignition. Before he could open the door, Jessie forestalled him, "Eli?" He turned to her.  
  
"Can I ask you a question?" Jessie asked him.  
  
"Only if you want to hear the answer" he quipped before noticing the serious expression on his sister's face. "Okay, shoot."  
  
"Eli, what happened…um…I mean…how come…um…" she trailed off.  
  
Eli raised an eyebrow, "You actually have to ask a question before I can answer it."  
  
"What happened between you and Grace?" Jessie blurted out, a dull flush creeping into her pale cheeks.  
  
His brow furrowed as he mumbled, "What are you talking about?"  
  
"Eli" Jessie prodded, "You know what I mean."  
  
"No, I don't know what you mean."  
  
"I thought…um…that there was something between the two of you."  
  
"Well, you thought wrong" Eli snapped, yanking the door open and stepping out of the car.  
  
Exiting the car, and walking towards her brother, Jessie murmured softly, "There's nothing wrong with loving someone."  
  
Eli yelled, "I don't love her!"  
  
The hurt evident in Jessie's blue eyes, she said, "Sorry, I thought I could help."  
  
"Well, there's nothing to help. So don't worry okay? Let's go see mom" he said, walking towards the hospital entrance.  
  
Following him, Jessie remarked, "Not like it matters anymore, not with Mr. Dimitri." Eli stopped dead in his tracks and turned around.  
  
"Mr. Dimitri? What's that supposed to mean?"  
  
Jessie shrugged, "Nothing. Forget it" she tried to walk past him, but he grabbed her arm.  
  
"No, wait, what did you mean?"  
  
Jessie glared at him, "I just meant that it doesn't matter how you feel about Grace anymore because she is obviously in love with Mr. Dimitri!" She tugged free, "I'm going to see mom. I'll see you up there."  
  
Eli stared after his sister, confusion and shock etched onto his features. Mr. Dimitri? Mr. Dimitri! Grace's teacher? The scrawny guy with the messy hair and bad clothes? The one that was at least as twice as old as Grace. That Mr. Dimitri? "You have got to be kidding me!" he said aloud, as the other hospital visitors shot him furtive glances.  
  
* * * * *  
  
"Stupid English class" Grace muttered, flopping onto her stomach on her bed.  
  
"Hard day?" Eli asked her, sitting on the floor in the corner of her room.  
  
Grace sat up quickly "Eli! What are you doing? You scared me!"  
  
"I just wanted to see how you were doing, that's all" he said quietly.  
  
"Are you okay? You've been acting weird since yesterday. Well, weirder than usual anyway. You're not on prolonged bad trip or anything, are you?" she asked, unnerved by the intense look in his green eyes.  
  
He laughed shortly, "That stuff barely even affects me" he replied with a shrug of his shoulders. "Now you…you on the other hand are a different story."  
  
"What are you talking about?" Grace asked him, her dark eyes confused.  
  
Eli stood up, brushing off his faded jeans. "Who knows what I'm talking about these days. Who cares? The question is, what are you up to Grace Manning?"  
  
"Okay, you know what Eli? You're really wigging me out. Can you leave now? I have a lot of homework."  
  
"Homework? Sure, whatever. I'm leaving" he walked towards the door. Pausing, he turned back to Grace, "By the way, how's Mr. Dimitri?"  
  
Her brown eyes snapped up to meet his and she swallowed thickly. Regaining her composure, she shrugged, seemingly nonchalant. "How should I know? Fine, I guess."  
  
Eli laughed harshly, "Right. Fine."  
  
"Eli, what is your problem?" Grace snapped. "You're acting like an even bigger loser than usual!"  
  
"I may be a loser Grace, but at least I've never screwed my teacher" he shot back, jerking her door open.  
  
"No, just everything else that moves!" she yelled after him as he slammed the door shut.  
  
Her heart thudding in her ears, Grace stared at the now closed door. Jumping to her feet she stormed out of her room and headed towards the attic. Stomping up the stairs, she saw Jessie and Katie pull back quickly from one another.  
  
Jessie glared at Grace, flushed. "Don't you ever knock?"  
  
Grace waved her off dismissively, "Save it. I could care less. What did you tell Eli?"  
  
Jessie stared at her, "Eli?"  
  
Narrowing her dark eyes, Grace replied, "Yes, Eli. What did you tell Eli about me and Mr. Dimitri."  
  
Katie shot Jessie a surprised look and Jessie flushed an even deeper shade of red.  
  
* * * * *  
  
Tossing for what seemed like the millionth time that night, Eli flung the flimsy gray bed sheet away from him disgustedly and sat up. Grabbing the small alarm clock from the bed stand he saw that it was half past two. "Great" he muttered. Running a hand through his short, unkempt hair, he stilled as he heard a gentle knock at his door.  
  
Shrugging into a t-shirt, he walked over to open the door. Her arms wrapped around her waist, Grace peered up at him, her brown hair falling into her eyes. Sighing, he let her inside.  
  
"Sleepwalking?" he asked, flipping on a light.  
  
Walking over to sit on his rumpled bed, Grace said flatly, "I am not 'screwing' anyone, least of all Mr. Dimitri."  
  
"About that. Forget I said anything. It's none of my business" Eli smiled half-heartedly, "You were right, I was having a bad trip."  
  
Grace continued as if she hadn't heard him, "I kissed him. Once. In his car…that day…that day in the rain."  
  
An image of Grace standing shivering in the rain flashed through Eli's mind. She put a hand to her lips as if remembering the same image. "Just that once" she whispered shakily.  
  
"Grace, it doesn't matter. I don't need to know" Eli said, putting a comforting arm around her shoulders as he sat down beside her.  
  
"It does matter. It matters if it hurts you" Grace insisted, dropping her head onto his shoulder.  
  
"Do you love him?" Eli asked quietly.  
  
"I thought I did, but now…" her voice trailed off.  
  
She felt him sigh against her. "He's an idiot, you know."  
  
"I know" Grace replied, smiling half-heartedly.  
  
"It's late" he said.  
  
"It is" Grace said, snuggling closer to him.  
  
"You should get to bed" Eli said, wrapping his arm tighter around her.  
  
"I should" Grace agreed, nodding slightly. Suddenly she giggled. "Eli, let's go to bed."  
  
He cocked an eyebrow, "Isn't this kinda sudden? I mean here we are having a heart to heart and all you want is my body?" he feigned indignation.  
  
Grace lifted her head to look at him, her brown eyes sparkling with mirth. "Shut up, you know what I mean!"  
  
"Well then, fine. Sleep!" he said, flopping back down against his pillows. Grace plopped down next to him, his arm under her head.  
  
"Eli?" she said, as he shifted to look at her. "Thanks."  
  
Grinning, he angled his head to kiss her swiftly on the lips. "Go to sleep Grace" he breathed against her mouth.  
  
"Okay" she whispered back, her arm wrapping around his chest.  
  
Tugging the bunched up comforter from his feet, he covered the two of them. With the scent of her hair and the feel of her warm body against him, Eli closed his eyes and drifted off to sleep, a soft smile touching his lips.  
  
-fin- 


End file.
